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Tuesday, August 7, 2012

The Sultan of Monte Cristo by Holy Ghost Writer

This was a fascinating time period, well written and detailed so much that it took you right there, so much that you can smell the wines, the macaroons, and see the places, all the while, the characters also come to life right in front of you.
I am a fan of the Count of Monte Cristo, and this was a splendid addition to such a fabulous story! I am anxious to read more from, Holy Ghost Writer, and I also would recommend possibly not only purchasing this book for your Kindle, but in paperback as well. (I am a big fan of real live books that I can put on a bookshelf;) and this book is definitely no exception to this rule!
I am normally a bit leery about who writes sequels to stories, movies or books, when it is not the original author. This is something I always have a hard time with because I don't believe it to be original, or the intent or imagination of the first director/filmmaker/author, but the author here, sets the first example I have ever seen for being most likely exactly how this was to be.
I am sometimes amazed at the writing skills and imaginations of certain authors, and this is the first I have read by, Holy Ghost Writer. I am adding him/her to the top of my list of favorites!
The story is well told, and the author has a very cool style and blends all of the words so perfectly! If you are a fan of The Count of Monte Cristo, this will be a great addition to your library. If you are not, well then you are missing out on a beautifully written book by an author who is as mysterious and fascinating as the story itself.
I like how the book description is read on Amazon, which is what led me to be interested in this story:
"Since the Count of Monte Cristo saw himself as divine providence we speculate that the word 'holy' in the Ghost Writer name was inspired by this fact, yet there are some unexpected twists in this sequel that may also contribute to the name.

Although those and other plot shifts come unexpectedly in this sequel, they fit seamlessly and grow out of some small seeds planted in the original story that never took root therein. One of those small seeds is the word 'hemp' found in the first chapters of the original story by Dumas."

A quick summary of the original story that Holy Ghost Writer so charmingly grew these seeds from:
19th century France, Edmond Dante is a sailor who is in love with, and engaged to the love of his life, Mercedes. His enemies, one of which is Ferdinand, is in love with Mercedes and wants to marry her. So, he and a shipmate wrote a letter accusing Edmond of carrying a letter from Elba to the Bonapartist committee in Paris. Edmond is then arrested on his wedding day and he was imprisoned for 14 years.
He decided to try and dig a tunnel to escape, and in the process, found a very close friend in an elderly prisoner, Faria. The 2 became very close, and Faria taught Edmond, and they met daily.
Faria passed away, but before doing so, he told Edmond about an incredibly large, buried fortune, and Edmond decides to replace Faria's body with his own, which was then dumped in the sea, and he starts his escape.
His main goal of this escape? To grab the fortune and to get revenge on everybody who wronged him and imprisoned him. (Slow and painful punishments)

I recommend these books, to anybody who has read the other, or to anybody who enjoys history, and powerful novels.